Method of producing boxes and box blanks



ay H. B. SMITH METHOD oF PRODUCING BOXES AND Box BLANxs s sheets-sheet 1 Original Filed Jan.l2, 1923 May 10,192.7. 1,627,812

H. B. sMrrvH METHOD oF PRODUCING BoxEs AND Box BLANxs original Filed Jan.12. 1923 s sheets-sheet 2 A TTORNE YJ KMfa 10 1927.

y H. B. SMITH METHOD 0F PRODUCING BOXES AND B`OX BLANK 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 original Filed Jan.12. 1923 uw.. uw QN .4 TTORNE Ys,

Piuminik May io, 1927.

UNITED STATES massant-MAN SMITH, or BaooxLYN, Nnw Yoan, AssxeNon., BY I18N: salenmnNTs, To noaGUn-SPRAGUE CORPORATION, or LYNN, nsucEUsETTs, .a 00B.-

IPORATION lOIE MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD or rRoDUcING Boxns AND nox Bumm.

Application filed January 12, 1923, Serial No. 612,172. Renewed Jule 25, 1006.

This invention relates' to methods of producing boxes in general conformity with continuous box production methods previously "invented by me as disclosed in variouspat-V ents and pending applications including companion applications executed on even date herewit .v

The structures here disclosed v are described and claimed in a. divisional application Ser. N o. 123,201, filed July 17, 1926.

A characteristic feature ofthe present inf vention is the connection of separate strips orwebs of box Ibody or shell material by strips of suitable material, usually paper thinner than the shell material and of suitable strength and toughness, and having suitable folding qualities, these connections providing hinging or folding connections of improved and advantageous characteristics. Incidental to the described connection or hinging structure and method, in some cases the shell material for the complete, continnous boxblank assembly may be originally furnished or handled inthe form of a single roll or web, and this Web' may be'split or vcut longitudinally to separate it into a plurality of parts, and the connectingor hinging strips'may then be applied to reconnect these separate parts for the purpose of form.- ing the fold or hinge lines in an advan- `tageous Way. v I

An important object .of such structures' and production methods isthat they avoid an important' diiliculty heretofore experienced in producing boxes, namely that in the operations ofcreasing o r folding and bending the materials they are so def med or strained that when the blanks. re folded and secured in box form the walls, and es pecially the side walls, frequently -bulge in 'an objectionable manner, and to cure this defect, more or less elaborate and expensive means have to be adopted to remove the bulge after the box has been completed, or ehe various precautions or expedients have lo be employed to avoid distorting or straining the materials, or to otherwise eliminate the bulge in some of the intermediate steps of production methods. f i

My invention eliminates this diiicultyby eliminating the tendency of the materials'to bulge. `In other words by applying suitable .hinge strips to separate shell members, the i stiff shell member is not distorted or strained and it therefore has little or no tendency to b ulge or depart from a desired flat condition in intermediate steps of the process or in the box as finally set up and fastened.

Important economies in material costs are also introduced es cially when some or all parts of the shellximaterial are originally available in theform of narrow strips or rolls whiclr may lin fact` be trimmings -or other waste.materials produced in various operations of a paper-working plant. v

1n addition 'to 'the principal distinctive features of the invention above mentioned it includes various process steps and structural features in general conformity `with continuous production methods of my invention' as above stated, and reference should be made' to my prior patents and applications, and com' anion ap lications also above referred to, or an `un erstanding of .many of, the added .features and variatlons `that can'be incorporated in connection with the significant features of this invention, and it will be attempted herein only` to explain only'a few certain relatively simple 'box structures and methods for producing them.

A very important feature of the invention is of course the incorporation of its principal distinctive features above referred to 1n a. complete continuous-production method in order to 'realize the greatest speed and economy in box production on a commercial4 scale;

The characteristics and advantages'ofthe invention are further suiciently explained in connection with the following detail description of theaccompan ing, drawings, .which show certain exempli tures and certain representative performances of the process; and after considering these persons skilled in the art will understand that many variations may be madeA within the principles of the invention, and I contemplate the employment of any methods or method steps which are, properly within the scope of the appended c aims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view,` in dia grammatic form, of materials land mechanisms suiciently explaining' one perform-- ance gf the process.

Figure 2 1s al side elevation.v Figure 3 is a top plan.

box struc-l formations. f

Figure 10 is a perspective view of an individual blank'assembly.

Figure -11 shows the same partly folded into box orm.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the completed box part. v v

Figurel 'is a section at 13 13, .Figure 12.

Referring first to Figure 1, a continuous strip or web 1 of suitable box body or shell material, such as card board or-chip board of suitable grade and thickness, is advanced from a roll 2 over a guide roll 3. At a suitable point in its advance the web is separated into a plurality of parts, usually three parts, namely, a center strip 4, and side strips 5 which are usually of equal width and which may be wider, narrower, or of the same width as the center strip, the relative dimensions of the strips depending upon the dimensions of the box part to be produced. In the present case the center strip 4 constitutes central or body portions pf the completed box blank and end wing portions thereof, while the side strips 5 constitute l sirablyA spaced apart slightl side wingand corner lap portions of the blank. web into strips is accomplished in this case by rotary slittin mives 6 (zo-operating with an abutment rol 7.

` The separate web portions are now de-y more or less, depending on the nature of t e fold or hinge to be produced between the adjacent portions.'v A suitable spacing of the shell por tions in one instance is indicated in Figure 6 where the space 8 between adjacent strips' 4 and 5 is about equal to the thickness of the shell material.

rlhis arrangement can be varied within considerable limits. this separation or spacing of the web portions, rotary spacng wheels 9 are provided which have anges adapted to enter between adjacent edges of the strips and hold them properly apart, and of course the spacing devices may be multiplied or varied so as lto maintain the strips in proper relation during subsequent operations, lor at least, until they are reconnected by the hinge strips. For the sake of compactness in the drawing, the separators 9 are shown quite close to the slitters 6, but of course this distance maybe as great as necessary or desirable to avoid any lateral distortion of the material.

To reconnect the shell strips and vprovide the hinge formations, strips 12 of suitable connecting and hinging material, 'such as strong and tough paper of suitable char- 'lhe separation or the continuousmanera' acter, for example, the kind of paper known in the trade asKratpaper, are advanced from rolls 13 and over glue rolls 14, and are then directed underfguide and pressing rolls 15 in contact with margins of the respective shell strips 4c and 5, and over the spaces 8', and pressed adhesively in position on the shell material, and coincidental with this application of the hingeI strips or by independent operations, the hinge material may in some cases'be depressed between the adjacent edges of the s ell strips as clearly shown in Figure 6 where 16 indicates the depressed or beaded portion ofv the hinge strip 12. For this purpose a central peripheral ange 17 may be provided on the pressing roll 15 or the formation of this depression or bead in the hinge material may be coincidental with the formation of a similar depression in the cover paper as presently explained.

A continuous stripvor web 20 of suitable cover material, usually? paper of a desirable grade, is advanced from a roll (not shown) and over a glue roll 21 and under a pres/sing roll 22 where it is brought in adhesive contact with the shell strips and over the hinge strips.' The covermaterial may be depressed to form concave beads 24, Figure 6, corresponding with the depressions or beads 16 in the hinge strips, by peripheral anges 25 on pressing roll 22, or at this point both l the cover material and the hinging material out the previous de ression or formation of the hinge strip bead 16 as above explained. When depressions or beadsare formed in` the hinge strips or cover paper, or both, as ,above described, from the point of their formation onward, in addition to other purposes or functions of these formations, they serve to maintain or aid in maintaining the proper spacing of the shell strips.

Otherwise the hinge material and the` cover material, either or both, may be applied flat and smooth across the longitudinal shell spa-ces 8 as clearly shown in Figure 8.

Subsequent operations may vary considerably, depending on the desired box structure and other considerations. 1n the prefsent particular example, wherein theA cover web has laterally projecting margins 30, these margins are tui-neil down and under and adhesively secured to under surf-.icc margins of the outer shell strips'. At a suitable point in the advance of the combincd materials transverse fold lines or cre-ses 31 are formed in, any desirable man., ner. At the same point or at a different point in the material advance other transverse fold lines or creases 32 are formed which extend between the longitudinal fold lines. lso at a suitable point in the material movementk longitudinal cuts are made to sever portions of the continuous assembly which. will concui stitute corner laps and end wings in the individual blanks, when severed and these cuts may be simple slits, or as desirable in some cases, theymay be in the form of narrow strips of material excised from the composite blank,'producing vslots 40 which mayqv be substantially commensurate in width wit the spaces 8 between shell strips 4 and 5, and directly Vin line with them, or if necessary or desirable these slots may be somewhat wider.

The'combined materials arethen severed at regular intervals on a transverse line 45 and for a box blank of the particular form in view, coincidental with this severing, or

before or afterward, rectangular portionsl are excised from the sides of the blank coextensive with the outer shell strips 5, tlese excised portions being represented by the Vrectangular spaces 47, Figures 3 and 4.

There is` thus produced an individual box forming blank or assembly B, F igures 3, 4 and 10, comprising a central'ory body section a, side wings b, corner lapsv c extendin from ends of the side wings, end wings and end wing extensions or margins e, each of these portions consisting of both shell and .cover material.- The parts a-d1-e, and

bof the shell material are of course initially" disconnected bythe severing operation previously described, but are reconnected by the hinge strips, portions 12a and 12"' of which extend alongside the slits or slots'u40 to the ends of the blank between `theshell material and cover paper.

The blank is now folded in one or more stages or series of operations, the intermediate operations being sufficiently explained in Figures 7, 9 and 11. In folding, the side portions of the blank, that is, the members b--c, are turned at right-angle to the central necessary in all cases, the folding andforming operations are usually performed over a plunger or form, and the shell portions 4l ande may therefore be accurately located in relationto each other.- Since'they do not 'really take any part in the bending -opera tion, it is evident that therey is no tendency to distort or strain the shellmaterials, and therefore in the completed box these parts including the side walls consisting of the' blank members b,.remein perfectly smooth f contact with the shell surfaces.

structure is then pressed in position, Aproducand flat land Ano special precautions are re! quired to remove bulges or to prevent the occurrence of bulges durin the process, and especially in .the steps of olding the blank into box form. y l

The corner laps c are then turned in, the end wings d are turned up and the end wing extensions e are turned in and secured to inner margins of the corner laps, adhesive being supplied to suitable parts of the' blank at any suitable stage of the proceedings, for instance, adhesive maybe supplied to inner surfaces of the assembly end wings and end wing extensions (Z and-e while the materials are still in continuous assembly form or after the individual blanks are severed, and in fact at any time before the end-wing and end-wing-extension-surfaces 'are brought in ing a completed box part, shown in Figure 12, in which all external surfaces are covered by the cover paper, all the wall edges n are covered by overturned portions of the cover paper, and in, this particular example, the onl part of the shell material visible is along t e shell edges 50, Figure 12. By suitable additional expedients or precautions in the process as sufficiently explained in previous applications, and especially in my companion applications above referred to, provision may be made for covering all of the l shell material including all edges along lines 50 and elsewhere.

A box produced in the present instance is very strong and durable, especially in view The end i of the reinforced-ends or end margins, and

particularly in view of the heavy edge reinforcements provided by the in-t-urned end Wing extensions e, consisting Aof combined shell and cover material and including also portions 128L of the hinge strips. The end structure is further reinforced by hinge strip. portionswhich are iii-turned against the inner faces ofthe end 'wings d.

Figure illustrates a variation in initial stages of the process which is desirable in. some cases. In this example the shell strips 4a and 5 are furnished inthe form or originally separate rolls 4b andv 5l. This affords Y an opportunity for economy `in material, since in abox factory or other paper-working establishment strips of box forming material such as card board or chip board, or other suitable box `body forming material. are frequently available as trimmings, and these trimmings may be cut to accurate width and'rolled up to provide any of the rolls 4* and 5", Figure 5.- Frequently the outer rolls 5b, even in boxes of rather large central dimensions, may be quite narrow, as in the'case of producing box covers with shallow walls, and of course in smaller sizes lof boxes materials may often be available in proper widths for any of the box-formingy web strips. Regardless of the question of cost ofmaterial, it may be desirable, in some cases, 'to provide the shell strips in originally separate form` and evidently by such provision the slitting and separating' operations may be avoided.

The strips pass overa guide roll 7 as in the previous instance, and are `properly spaced, or maintained in `properly spaced alignment, by any suitable `spacers or separacomprising advancing two or more strips of '30 ing a cover sheet adhesively over the con` box forming material in substantially parallel relation, applying connecting strips to secure the first named strips together, applynecting strips and severing the continuous assembly so produced at regular intervals to form individual boxblanks.

3. A method olf producing box blanks,

$5 comprising advancing a plurality of strips of box-board in substantially parallel relation, advancing connecting strips of sheet material and adhesively securing them to adjacent margins of the board strips to form hinge or fold connections, applying a continuous web of sheet cover material adhesively to the boardstrips over the hinge strips, and severing the continuous assembly so produced at regular intervals to form individual box blanks. l y

4. A method of producing boxy blanks, comprising advancing a plurality of ystrips of box-board in substantially parallel relation, advancing connecting strips of sheet material'and adhesively securing them to adjacent margins of the board strips to form hinge or fold connections,fdepressing the connecting strip material between adjacent edges of the board strips, applying, a vcontinuos web of sheet cover material adhesively l to the board strips over the hinge strips, and severing the continuous assembly so produced at regular intervals to form individual box blanks.

5. A method of producing box blanks, comprising advancing a plurality of lstrips of box-board in substantially parallel relation, spacing adjacent edges of the different strips a suitable distance apart, 'advancing connecting strips-ofsheet material and adnemers hesively securing them to adjacent margins of the boardH strips to formv hingeor fold connections', applying a continuous. Web of lsheet cover material adhesively to the board strips over the hinge strips, and severing the .continuous assembly so produced at regular intervals tol form individual box blanks.

6. A method of producing box blanks,

`comprising advancing a plurality of strips of box-board in substantially parallel relation, spacing adjacent edges of the diEerent strips a suitable distance apart, advancing connecting strips of sheet material `and adhesively securing them to adjacent margins 'of the board strips to form hinge or fold connections, depressing the connecting strip material between adjacent edges of the board' strips, applying a continuous web of sheet cover material adhesively to the board strips 'over the Ihinge strips, and severing the continuous assembly so produced at regular intervals to form individual box blanks.

7.4 A -method of producing box blanks, comprising advancing a -plurality of separate strips or Webs of box shell' material in substantially parallel relation, spacing adf jacent edges of the strips aparta suitable distance. With -regard to the :told -to bepro; duced, advancing hinge strips .and adhesively aiiixing one of the strips over the space between eachl two adjacent shellA strips in conta'ct with the shell strip margins, advancing a continuous web of covermaterial and adhesively securing it to the surface of the combined shell Webs over the hinge strips, and severing the assembly transversely at regular' intervals to produce individual box blanks.

8. A method of producing box blanks', comprising advancing a'continuous Web of box shell orbody material, slitting the web. longitudinally into aplurality of parts, applying continuous strips vof flexible sheet material to reconnect the parts, and severing the continuous assembly so produced at regumaterial to reconnect the parts, advancing a .f

continuous web of cover material and adhesively securing itvto a ,facev of the reconnected shell yWeb over the connecting strips, and severing the. continuous assembly so produced at regular intervals to form individual box blanks.

l10. A method of producing-box blanks, I Acomprising advancing a continuous web ofv box shell or body material, slitting the web longitudinally into a plurality of parts,- reconnecting the parts by adhesively applying continuous strips of flexible sheet material, andd severing the continuous assembly so produced at regular intervals to form in dividual box blanks.

11. A method of producing box blanks comprising advancing a continuous unitary web of box-board or shell material, splitting the web longitudinally along a plurality of lines to separate it into strips, spacing the strips slightly apart, advancing continuous strips of flexible hinge material corresponding to the divisions in the shell web and applying the hinge strips adhesively' to reconneet the shell strip, applying a continuous web of cover paper to a surface of the reconnected shell web over the hinge strip, and severing the assembly transversely at regular intervals to produce individual box blanks.

12. A method of producing boxes, comprising concurrently advancing two or more strips of box forming material, applying connecting` strips to secure the first named strips together, applying and securing a cover sheet, severing the continuous assembly so produced at regular intervals to form individual box blanks, .and folding and securing the individual blanks in box form.

13. A method of producing boxes, -comprising advancing a plurality of strips of` box-board in substantially parallel relation, advancingeconnecting strips of sheet mate-y rial and adhesively securing them to adjacent margins of the board strips to Vform hinge or fold connections, applying a continuous web of sheet cover material adhesively to the board strips over the hinge strips, severing the continuous assembly so I produced .at regular intervals to form individual box blanks, and folding and securing the individual blanks in box form.

' 14. A method of producing boxes, comprising advancing a plurality of separate strips or webs of box shell materialin substantially parallel relation., spacingadjacent edges -of the strips apart a suitable distance with regard to the' fold to be produced, advancing hinge strips and adhesively aifixing one of the strips over the space between each two adjacent shell strips in contact with the shell strip margins, advancing a continuous web of cover material and adhesively securing it tothe surface of the combined shell webs over the hinge strips, severing the -assembly transversely at regular intervals to produce individual box blanks, and folding and securing the individual blanks in box form. j i .15. A method lof producing boxes, com# prising advancing a continuous web of box shell or body material, slitting the web longitudinally into a plurality of arts, applying continuous strips of flexible sheet material to vreconnect the partspsevering the continuous assembly so produced vat regular intervals to form individual box blanks, and folding and securing the individual blanks in box form.

16. A 'method of producing boxes, cornprising advancing a continuous web of box shell or body material, slitting the web longitudinally into a plurality of parts, applying continuous strips of flexible sheet material to reconnect the parts, advancing a continuous web of cover material and adhesively securingit to a face of the reconnected shell web over the connecting strips, severing the continuous assembly so produced at regular intervals to form individual box blanks, and folding and securing the individual blanks in box form.

17. A method of producing box blanks, comprising concurrently advancing a plurality of strips of box-material, applying and securing another layer of material to connect the strips in foldable relation, and

forming individual box blanks from the continuous assembly thus produced.

18; A vmethod of producing box blanks, comprising concurrently advancing a pluy rality of strips ofbox-material" in slightly spaced relation, applying sheet material adhesively to the strips across the .spaces to retain the strips in foldable relation, and forming individual box blanks from the continuous assembly so produced. j

19. A method of producing box blanks,

comprising concurrently advancing a plurality of strips of box-material, adhesively applying lsheet' material to connect the strips in foldable relation, applying other sheet material as reinforcing and covering material, and forming individual box blanks from the continuous assembly so produced.

20. A methodof produclng box blanks, comprising concurrently .advancing a plurality of strips of( box-material, applying and securing another layer of material to hold the strips in predetermined relation, depressing said other layerl of material between adjacent edges of thestrips, and forming individual box blanks from the lcontinuous assembly so produced.

21. A methodof producingv box blanks, comprising concurrently advancing a plurality of ystrips of box-material, applying and securinganother layer of material to holdthe strips in predetermined relation,

depressing said other layer of material ,be-

tween adjacent edges of the strips to form beaded folding lines, and forming individual box blanks from the continuous assembly so produced.

Signed at New York city in the county of New York and State of New York, this 20th day of December, A. D. 1922.

HARRY BRrDGMANsmTH.. 

